Truth is stranger than fiction is too much of an over-used phrase BUT, in this case, it does not come close to describing this fascinating, page turner of a book. The publisher's synopsis does a much better job of explaining the biography than I can.

If this were fiction, you really would laugh at the impossibility of it all. However as fact, supported by an index with myriads of references, it is jaw-dropping.

Try to imagine an army private called Lewis deciding that he has had enough of being "nothing more than cannon fodder" who deserts, reinvents himself as Masson and then goes on to be a highly respected "finder of antiquities", taken advantage of by almost everyone he meets. All of this happening in the first half of the 19th Century when the East India Company, for whom he was a soldier, was taking advantage of everyone that crossed its path. Masson was used and abused by them to its own great advantage, eventually driving him back to England where he eventually ended up in an almost unnoticed grave in Edmonton, north of London.

I am totally unable to do Masson justice in my review and so please read the book, you will really be amazed to discover a genuine example of truth being so much stranger than fiction.

What a wonderfully written novel from the nineteenth century going from England to India, Afghanistan and all inbetween.
When Charles Masson a normal working class boy signs up to the East India Shipping Company little did he know what was in store for him.
After he deserted he was a wanted man but all he knew was that he had to follow in the footsteps of Alexandria and nothing would stop him.
What Masson discovers along the way....not just his own humanity but violence, intrigue, blackmail, murder and more.
This is such a powerful and epic journey and adventure.

It is 1833 and Charles Masson (not his real name) is searching for the lost city of Alexandria.
Fascinating book about this man and his search. Hardships, violence and hope that drives him on.

This is a history book but it kept me hooked and turning pages as it's gripping.
The author is master storyteller and I was fascinated by the story of James Lewis aka Charles Masson.
There's plenty to learn from this book: ancient civilizations, archelogical discoveries, travel.
A lof of information, quotes from original documents but it never was dry or pedantic.
i loved what I read and I think that the author did an excellent job.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was intrigued by this title. I knew nothing about Masson, the subject and very little about Central Asia in the 19th century. What a place for intrigues and oddities! This is a genuinely rollicking adventure.. it’s a voyage of discovery in every sense, led by the most unlikely individual. Masson was a Londoner who was destined for an amazing life as a spy, doctor, archaeologist amongst other things.

The research is meticulous and the result is this amazing story which reads like a thriller. It’s exciting, informed, very easy to read and truly rewarding.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I really wanted to read this book as I am fascinated by Alexandria and it’s history, however, the over flowery language and tone put me off. Unfortunately I couldn’t get past the first few pages.

Richardson’s book reads delightfully like a novel - a raucous, romping novel recounting the hard-to-believe events following the life of Private Lewis as he goes AWOL from the East India Company in 1827.

It’s right up my street; I’m a nineteenth-century researcher, looking at the impact of environmental damage and it’s representation in literature in the United States. This book, exceptionally researched, gives a global look at the environments in which Private Lewis lived, fought, and embroiled himself in, with drama, mystery, and political intrigue for the “good of their country” causing danger and death as a result. Lewis’ life after the EIC is that of a grave robber, an explorer - an unlikely occurrence for an unassuming soldier from the dirty bowels of London, but with astounding consequences for global archaeology and history. A phenomenal read, one I’m glad I picked up.

This was a fascinating biographical account of James Lewis, aka Charles Masson, whom we meet as he is deserting his post in the East India Trading Company in 1827. What follows is a bizarre journey across Afghanistan, India, and Egypt as Masson becomes increasingly driven to discover one of Alexander the Great’s lost cities. His transformation from wastrel to archaeologist is gripping, and reads like an adventure novel.

This book is clearly meticulously researched and I found the dates, names, and places, which come thick and fast at the start, a little overwhelming at first. However, the storytelling is excellent and I found myself increasingly drawn to the story. I would certainly recommend this book!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

"Alexandria" is the absolutely astonishing story of Charles Masson. A deserter from the British East India Company, Charles Masson had an incredible life and this book has been researched so well that I enjoyed every word. The writing makes this book very easy to read, and I couldn't help but feel that the author was as astonished as me at some of the highlights of Masson's life.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This is a strange tale of a very unusual man who stepped beyond his working class upbringing, his lack of education and opportunities to become a researcher into sites of the 4th century BC in Afghanistan, as he sought to find one of the missing cities of Alexander the Great. He succeeded in his intentions in spite of the practical challenges of poverty, being from a completely different culture and language and getting himself embroiled with, and on the wrong side of, some very toxic men linked to the East India Company. All of this, it should be said, after going AWOL from the East India Company army in 1827 and effectively becoming a sought after outlaw.
Richardson recounts his extraordinary tale based substantially on the life of a Londoner James Lewis, who re-invented himself as “Charles Masson”. It should be said that his sources are Masson’s own auto-biography (that it might be fair to say was not necessarily fully truthful ) and references to him that appear in newspapers of the time and other documents, diaries, memoirs, letters and EIC paperwork that have survived. But it spreads its tendrils to a number of other, possibly better known, characters. The years of Masson’s life in India and then Afghanistan are those of the great consolidation and then expansion of the EIC into Afghanistan in the late 1830s. And the military campaign that was a highly public and embarrassing unmitigated disaster – that inevitably had to be “accounted” for and blame passed elsewhere than the Company.
Masson’s real intention throughout – one might say obsession – once he had survived the early years after his desertion, further travels and arrival in Afghanistan, was his archaeological research. At a time when that profession was in its infancy and little more than systematic looting of valuable objects, he seemed to be interested in the search itself and then understanding what finds meant. He started by excavating Buddhist religious monuments – initially not realising what they were – and managed to identify finds of the Greek settlements laid down by Alexander. Even more critically he could show how these became a melding of Greek and eastern cultures. This of course cut across the then (and often later) beliefs that Greek culture was imposed on “lesser” Eastern cultures. He hit truths that are still being developed about now as the complexity of international trade, exploration and cultural melding. He was able through his finds and studies to identify and translate the “lost” language of the period, another considerable achievement.
But excavation costs money and this led Masson into difficulties. The EIC became his ex-officio bankers, first through the goodwill he created with like minded officers who were interested in local culture; but more latterly through “salary” as he was coerced into becoming an EIC spy. This was a role that he found profoundly painful, but also placed him at risk as a less than innocent “outsider” in a politically and militarily volatile time.
Richardson inevitably introduces another suite of characters of the EIC – both on the political side and the military. His resume of what they were getting up to at this time might be enlightening, but shows the true nature of invasion and control of other countries, using professional military people interested in self advancement, but often subject to little substantive control. He effectively skewers the reputations of a number of people, but also reveals a smattering of other characters on the scale of aberrant or odd – who are operating outside the norms of “at home” behaviour.
So this is one of those interesting history books that seemingly talks about one person – albeit extraordinary – but then widens the tale to show so much more. We have here a much wider diorama of culture, attitudes and beliefs – of both the locals and the invaders; with a not entirely happy mixing of them both. So to the reader like me who might have a general understanding of the EIC being in Afghanistan it gives a real tenor, flavour and “bite” of the reality of there and then. It should be said that Masson, who ended his life in Britain in relative poverty, did indeed find his lost city. It sits under the military airfield in Bhagram. So, this tale does not stop with the past, it speaks to the present politics of Afghanistan that are still playing out on the international stage – something that Richardson clearly recognises.

Like several other reviewers I was surprised by the focus of this book as I was expecting Alexandria, Egypt. But I enjoy nonfiction and was looking forward to reading about Mr Masson.. Unfortunately the writing style didn't suit me and I didn't like what I read of Mr Masson and his adventures and deceits. I skimmed quickly from about 20%. The book is undoubtedly well researched so three stars for that. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this title.

This biography of Charles Masson is absolutely riveting.. Well researched it details Masson's obsession in finding the cities of AlexandriaAlthough he was a deserter of the East India Company he became well respected for the archaeological work he carried out. His love of Afghanistan is obvious - both uplifting and sad. Definitely recommend reading this.

This is a really amazing tale, which almost reads like something by Rudyard Kipling. It begins like a novel – it is early morning in Agra, 1827, when a Private goes AWOL from the British East India Company’s regiment of the Bengal Artillery. He had no plan, no money, not even a change of clothes. However, having enlisted in the army to escape his poverty-stricken life in London, only to find that he was just as poor in India, he decided to reinvent himself.

How much of this initial story is truth and how much invention, is unclear. However, the possibly named Private James Lewis, becomes Charles Masson and, along the way, transforms himself from a lowly soldier to an eminent archaeologist. When he left the army, he was destitute and a deserter, who could have been killed, had he been found. Instead, he embarks on a quest to discover the city of Alexandria. Or, rather, one of the cities of Alexandria, as Alexander the Great was known to have built a dozen, or more, cities, with the same name throughout his Empire.

This book takes you through India, Afghanistan and even to Egypt. We see Masson become involved with attempting to help exiled kings reclaim their thrones, reading his own obituary, suffer imprisonment and have endless adventures. The author helps tie in Masson’s story with the history, and politics, of the time as well, so, overall, this is a very interesting read. I did feel, at first, like I was reading a novel and the beginning of this book was very gripping, but really the pace does not drop. A very interesting read about reinvention and obsession. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I devoured this piece of meticulously researched non-fiction with the utmost relish. The subject matter was fascinating and the writing was a delight. I'd never heard of Charles Masson previously and the story of his life read like fiction - think 'if Charles Dickens wrote Indiana Jones.' The author's passion for his subject wasjoyfully evident and hugely infectious - I was enthralled from start to finish. I did get a little bogged down in the middle section with all the political maneuvering, but the sparky writing style maintained my interest throughout. I particularly loved the descriptions of old Kabul and the antiquities of Afghanistan. I also loved the author's descriptions of the various 'characters' physical appearances and personalities - some of his turns of phrase were hilarious!
Such a fun and enjoyable book, informative and entertaining.

A very well researched book that's easy to read.

However, like other readers I thought this book was about the Egyptian Alexandria as opposed to a biography on Charles Masson's search for Alexandria Beneath the Mountains.

Not the right book for me, though I did finish it and learnt a huge amount!

Well written and very well researched, this book offers great insight into the amazing history of Alexandria (all of them). I did not realise the complexity of discovering the many twists and turns in the history of this city. Great storytelling.

This is a strange book about a strange man by an author who takes a very sympathetic view of his unusual career.

James Lewis was born in humble circumstances in London in 1800. He enlisted with the British East India Company in 1821.

He deserted his post at Agra Fort and by the time he arrived in Ahmedpur, having crossed the Thar desert on foot, he was calling himself Charles Masson. Desertion was a capital crime, often punished by firing the culprit from a cannon at that time.

Another adventurer, the American Josiah Harlan, recognised him as a deserter and signed him up to travel with him to Afghanistan in search of loot and glory - for Harlan- instead of turning him in. Charles eluded Harlan after a while and traveled on alone with no money and barely any clothes, becoming more and more obsessed with Alexander the Great.

The book traces his complex web of travel over the next twenty years or so, during which time he investigated many a historical site, producing detailed drawings and looting a huge coin collection as well as other ancient artefacts, many of which are now in the British Museum. Apart from Kabul, among many others, he visited Bamiyan, where he left a piece of graffiti (which would hardly have been written by the author’s idea of a shy archaeologist) and Bagram, where one of the fabled lost cities of Alexander may lie.

He loved Afghanistan and negotiated ts world of petty potentates and war lords with such aplomb as well as deceit that, even when his desertion catches up with him, he is coerced into becoming a spy rather than punished. The author thinks he is a reluctant spy but he was very good at spying and he knew Afghanistan much better than his employers.

After many adventures, his last years are as improbable as the rest of his career. The author is no doubt right to cite Schliemann and his vandalism of ancient Troy and Sir Arthur Evans’ theme park at Knossos as comparable to Masson’s dubious looting. They are all atrocities of empire. No statues for Charles Masson, please! Let this book be enough.

Like a lot of history books, it starts out a little slow with a lot of fact dumping to put the reader into the picture of what it's all about. At first I thought my expectation of a storytelling narrative might have been too high, but I'm interested in this area of history so I took the first chapter in small bites. By halfway through that chapter, things started moving much faster and an interesting adventure was underway.

Much of it follows the movements of James Lewis, who deserted from the East India Company and changed his name to Charles Masson. The book admits that many of the stories about Masson are unverifiable and probably exaggerated, but he had a talent for misrepresenting himself and discovered that the more fantastic his claims, the more people tended to believe them. This saved his life and even got him good treatment in regions where an Englishman would normally fare badly, especially in his time.

His adventures brought him to Pakistan and Afghanistan following the trail of Alexander the Great and the many 'cities' he founded and called Alexandria. The familiar one in Egypt turns out to be one of many, though some of these 'cities' don't amount to much.

His adventures and clashes with the East India Company make for interesting adventure reading, though at times it goes back to a slower narrative. The pure audacity of Masson and his accomplishments is worth the effort.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I was a little bleary eyed when I pressed request on this one thinking it was to do with the Egyptian Alexandria, a city that holds an enduring fascination for me. Alas, it is not, rather it is about the quest for Alexandria Beneath the Mountains and Charles Masson’s search for it.

The book is fantastically researched and starts off with a real sense of adventure. It’s easy to read and fast paced until…it isn’t. Unfortunately for me the middle section suffered a major slump when it descended into a forensic recounting of nineteenth century Afghani politics.

Perhaps it just soured for me because it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, rather than a hunt for a lost city it’s very much a biography of Masson and I personally didn’t find his story that compelling. It started off really well, but I was bored stiff by the end.

An adventurous escapade story of discovery in ancient times.

With a historical references, culture and customs throughout this book.